WEST NEW YORK – Ailina Tsarnaev, the sister of suspected Boston Marathon bombers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, made her first formal statement since federal agents and national media outlets set up camp outside her Buchanan Place apartment building on Friday. Tuesday, she echoed the horror felt by most after hearing of the attacks, but said that neither she nor her sister Bella had any answers as to what drove their brothers to allegedly commit the atrocities.

“Our heart goes out the victims of last week’s bombing. It saddens us to see so many innocent people hurt after such a callous act,” read a statement released to the media on Tuesday. “As a family, we are absolutely devastated by the sense of loss and sorrow this has caused.”

The statement goes on to say that the sisters share in the confusion and grief of many Americans who are still wondering why the bombings took place.

“We don’t have any answers but we look forward to a thorough investigation and hope to learn more,” it reads.

Finally, the sisters asked the media, many of whom were still stationed outside the apartment building on Tuesday afternoon, to respect their privacy.

The sisters’ statement stands in contrast to some of the suspects’ other family members who have suggested that the Tsarnaev brothers were framed for the bombings.

The latest developments in the bombing story came on Monday afternoon, when the White House announced that Dzhokhar, 19, would be tried in criminal court. He was charged, from his hospital bed, with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death and will make his first court appearance on May 30. Tamerlan, 26, was killed over the weekend in a gun battle with police. – Dean DeChiaro